Contact spring groups for electromagnetic connecting devices for obtaining a variation of the chronological order for the contact functions of the group



Jan. 29, 1957 WIBERG 2,779,843

CONTACT SPRING GROUPS FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC CONNECTING DEVICES FOR OBTAINING A VARIATION OF THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER FOR THE CONTACT FUNCTIONS OF THE GROUP Filed Dec. 11, 1953 Fig. 7

m? Ha yrrmwz/ United States Patent O CONTACT SPRING GROUPS FOR ELECTROMAG- NETIC CONNECTING DEVICES FOR OBTAIN- ING A VARIATION OF THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER FOR THE CONTACT FUNCTIONS OF THE GROUP Eric Axel Wiberg, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor to Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application December 11, 1953, Serial N 0. 397,745 A Claims priority, application Sweden December 31, 1952 Claims. (Cl. 200-166) This invention relates to contact spring groups for electromagnetic connecting devices, particularly telephone relays. The invention relates more exactly to such devices, which at the fore, free ends of the springs are provided with supporting bars with teeth for all springs and lifting bars with teeth for movable springs. When the armature of the device is operated and in the usual manner actuates the movable lifting bar, a number of contact functions are obtained in the existing contact spring group. It is in many cases desirable to vary the chronological order for these contact functions. For this purpose lifting bars with different intervals between the teeth have been provided. This method has however made a large number of different lifting bars necessary. This invention has for an object to make said variation possible in a simple way at bars with the same interval between the teeth. This is achieved in such a way that first in front of a tooth on one of the bars one or more of the contact springs are provided with an indentation in the spring material.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into eflFect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a contact spring group in a telephone relay. Fig. 2 is a side view of a section through the fore, free ends of the contact springs. Fig. 3 shows the front part of a contact spring provided with the indentation that is characteristic of the invention.

The contact spring group shown in Fig. l is mounted on the yoke 3 of the relay, the core 1 and armature 2 of which are indicated on the drawing. The group is composed of a number of contact springs, including rigid springs 16-19, and movable springs 1215, which all in the usual manner along a part of their length are tensed and electrically insulated from each other in a block 4. The free, fore ends of the movable springs l219, which ends are provided with contacts, are kept at a predetermined spacing from each other by means of a supporting bar 5, provided with teeth, against which the springs are resting with a determined bias. The bar consists of insulation material and has a fixed position in relation to the block 4. To transmit the movement of the armature to the movable contact springs 11, 12, 13 of the group a toothed lifting bar 11 is provided, which likewise consists of insulation material. The teeth on respective bars are equally spaced. The rigid contact springs have each a slot 20, so that the teeth of bar 11 cannot actuate these springs. The movable contact springs, which like the springs 14 and 15 are plane just in front of the teeth on the lifting bar 11, are moved by this bar practically immediately, when upon operation of the armature 2 the bar is lifted upwards, and engage the corresponding rigid springs. Each of the movable springs 14, 15 overlies in the shown normal or rest position, that is when armature is not attracted, the respective tooth on the lifting bar. To vary the chronological order of the ice movement of the springs and thus the contact function the spring material of the curtain of the movable contact springs has, according to the invention, been deformed just in front of the teeth on the lifting bar. As appears from the drawing springs 12, 13 are provided with indentations 21 in the material, so that the spacing between these springs and respective tooth on the lifting bar is Wider than for the plane springs 14 and 15. The springs 12 and 13 are consequently moved by the bar 11 later than the springs 14 and 15, whereby the desired change in time with regard to contact actuation is achieved.

The advantage of the construction indicated above is that it is possible to use standard plane springs and lift ing bars with equal springs between the teeth, on which springs, when necessary, stamping in the shape of indentations are made. It is also easy to vary the depth of the indentations, so that just the desired displacement of time with regard to contact actuation is obtained.

The construction may be varied by arranging the indentations in front of the teeth on the rigid supporting bar. The indentation in the spring material is then placed on a rigid spring, so that the spring will be lowered a little and thus lie at a smaller distance from the corresponding movable contact spring than would be the case without such an indentation.

I claim:

1. In a switching device of the kind wherein a plurality of movable and stationary contact springs are held spaced apart by the teeth of a toothed support bar and movable into and out of engagement by the teeth of a toothed lifting bar upon displacement of said latter bar, the teeth of the support bar and the lifting bar respectively being equally spaced, in combination with means staggering the engagement of the stationary contact springs by the movable contact springs upon displacement of the lifting bar, said means comprising a deformation of at least one of the contact springs varying the spacing of said spring from the coacting tooth of one of said bars in relation to the spacings of the other springs from the respective teeth of said bars.

2. In a switching device of the kind wherein a plurality of movable and stationary contact springs are held spaced apart by the teeth of a toothed support bar and movable into and out of engagement by the teeth of a lifting bar upon displacement of said latter bar, the teeth of the support bar and the lifting bar respectively being equally spaced, at least one'movable contact spring having opposite the respective tooth of the lifting bar a part bent out of the general plane of the said spring to increase the spacing between said bent out spring and the said tooth in relation to the spacings between the other movable contact springs and the respective teeth of the litfing bar for staggering the engagement of the stationary contact springs by the movable contact springs upon displacement of the lifting bar.

3. In a switching device of the kind wherein a plurality of movable and stationary contact springs are held spaced apart by the teeth of a toothed support bar and movable into and out of engagement by the teeth of a toothed lifting bar upon displacement of said latter bar, the teeth of the support bar and the lifting bar respectively being equally spaced, at least one movable contact spring having an indentation opposite the respective tooth of the lifting bar to increase the spacing between the said spring and the said tooth in relation to the spacings between the other movable contact springs and the respective teeth of the lifting bar for staggering the engagement of the stationary contact springs by the movable contact springs upon displacement of the lifting bar.

4. In a switching device of the kind wherein a plurality of movable and stationary contact springs are held spaced 3 apart by the teeth of a toothed support barand movable into and out of engagement of the teeth of a toothed lifting bar upon displacement of said latter bar, the teeth of the support bar and the lifting bar respectively being equally spaced, several movable contact springs each having an indentation opposite the respective tooth of the lifting bar to increase the spacings between said indented springs and the said teeth in relation to the spacings between the other movable contact springs and the respective teeth of the lifting bar, the said indentations having depths difierent one from another whereby the engagement of thestationary contact springs by the movable contact springs upon displacement of the lifting bar is staggered as to time. I p v I 5. In a switching device of the kind wherein a plurality of movable and stationary contact springs are held spaced apart by the teeth of a toothed support bar and movable into and out of engagement by the teeth of a toothed References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,279,811 Baker Apr. 14, 1942 2,632,065 Smith et al Mar. 17, 1953 2,675,445 Youhouse Apr. 13, 1954 

